


d'embrasser

by zannen



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, M/M, OT9 - Freeform, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:51:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8344168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zannen/pseuds/zannen
Summary: It’s not about attraction—he does find Sehun attractive, but not like that. It’s just nice to kiss someone like this, to care for them and express it by sharing this wonderful thing without it meaning more than it has to.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The word prompt for this was "basorexia: an overwhelming desire to kiss," but the overall idea was inspired by the concept executed by Anne Sorrentino in [Basorexia I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEv_-rTFAms). She said that she believes a kiss is the most beautiful interaction possible between two beings, so she had her friends kiss her. Y'know, as you do.
> 
>  **Update:** This fic has undergone massive revisions as of Feb 19th 2017. The word count has gone up by around 500, and a lot of details have been altered. I have the previous version saved on my computer, just in case, but I doubt I'll need it. Hopefully people like the new version! I'm certainly happier with it.

It’s a restless day. No one can seem to decide if they love or hate having time off, so used to being everywhere at once that they have no idea how to slow down. Some of them are channeling their excess energy into productive things. And Baekhyun could do that too, maybe, if the thought didn’t bore him to tears.

There’s a sweet smell coming from the kitchen where Kyungsoo and Jongdae are stress baking. Jongin visited between serial naps earlier, like he has some kind of sixth sense for imminent food, but wandered off again with a kicked puppy look when Jongdae threatened him with a pair of tongs.  _Amateur_ , Baekhyun thinks; he’s been popping in periodically, under the guise of getting something to drink or a quick snack from the fridge, and stealing pastries when neither man is looking. (Based on the suspicious glare the last time he was in there, he thinks Kyungsoo may have caught on. Baekhyun doesn’t dare try his luck by going in again.)

Then there are the occasional distressed messages from Chanyeol in the studio. Crying animal stickers, incoherent keysmashes, strings of  _what am I doing_ and  _I hate everything_ and _I’m quitting forever_. Baekhyun, being the kind of person he is, replies with cheerful emojis and  _kekeke_ s. Chanyeol insists he hates him. Baekhyun sends him picture after picture of him winking, making kissy faces, and flashing peace signs, captioned with _no you don’t_ and a number of hearts.

Yixing is off doing promotions in China,  _again_ , and doesn’t have time to answer Baekhyun’s messages because he has a solo career now and everything. Minseok and Junmyeon are at the gym, intent on having even more stupidly toned bodies than they already do, because they’re completely crazy. Baekhyun would have joined them if he didn’t currently hate the idea of sweating his skin off with every fiber of his being. Sehun is—

Baekhyun frowns. Thinking about it, he has no idea where Sehun is or what he’s doing.  _Time to investigate_ , he decides, finally sliding off the couch. He heads to the door, slides on the first pair of shoes he finds, and leaves for the other dorm.

The living room and kitchen are empty, though somehow the latter is messier than the one in Baekhyun’s own dorm, even though there’s no one baking desserts here. Baekhyun checks Jongin and Chanyeol’s room next, thinking the maknaes might be snuggling comfortably, but the only one napping there is Jongin himself, looking like a caterpillar in his cocoon of blankets. Sehun and Junmyeon’s hurricane-struck room is empty, and so is the bathroom. The door to Yixing’s room is shut, like it always is when he’s gone. None of them go in there. He doubts Sehun would.

That’s it, then. No sign of him anywhere. With a frown, Baekhyun decides to head back.

He kicks off his shoes lazily instead of putting them back where he found them. He’s shuffling past the kitchen when Kyungsoo calls out to him.

“Where did you go just now?” he asks.

Baekhyun shrugs. “For a walk,” he says.

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, then goes back to whatever he’s doing. Kneading dough, maybe. Baekhyun just walks on by and makes a beeline for his room.

The sight that confronts him when he opens the door is Sehun lying on his bed, wearing earbuds and holding his phone in front of him. All Baekhyun can do is stare confusedly, wondering when and how Sehun even got here. Sehun glances over at him and pulls one of the buds out.

“Junmyeon-hyung let our room get too gross,” he says. “I couldn’t stay in there.”

That just confuses Baekhyun even more. “What about Jongin and Chanyeol? Theirs isn’t bad.”

“Yours smells nicer.” Sehun pauses. “And they’re making bread and stuff here.”

Baekhyun laughs as he crosses the room. “You’ll be lucky if you get any.” He prods Sehun’s arm. “Move over.”

Once Sehun makes enough room, Baekhyun curls up beside him. There’s some adjustment involved, both of them moving this way and that to get comfortable, and Baekhyun has to sit up halfway so Sehun can wrap an arm around him. He uses the younger boy’s shoulder as a pillow, takes hold of one of his hands. He still smells like powdered milk, sugary and warm, somehow more comforting than the aroma of freshly-baked food outside the room. It doesn’t make the restless feelings go away completely, this closeness, but it quiets the busyness in Baekhyun’s brain to a dull hum.

“What were you watching?” he asks, glancing at the phone that’s now resting on Sehun’s midsection.

“Catching up on releases,” Sehun mumbles. He uses his free hand to take out the other earbud.

“Oh—you heard that I.O.I song, right?  _Nal neomu neomu neomu,_ ” he sings in his cutesiest voice, getting a few more  _neomu_ s out before Sehun shoves a hand in his face, squishing his nose and mouth and cheeks until his attempts at singing devolve into wordless laughter.

 “I don’t need that stuck in my head again,” Sehun says sternly before removing his hand.

“Fine, fine.”

They lie in silence for a while. Sehun’s eyes are closed, but Baekhyun knows he’s awake; his fingers keep fidgeting, tapping out an erratic rhythm against the back of Baekhyun’s hand. The discontent must be getting to him, too, Baekhyun thinks. Still, better to suffer together than alone.

It’s been a while since they did this anyway, the two of them, which is a shame—Sehun smells nice, feels good despite his long and bony limbs. And there’s something sweet about his expression mid-cuddle, something peaceful and boyish and vulnerable. It fills Baekhyun with a soft kind of affection, one that makes him want—

“Can I kiss you?”

Sehun tenses, eyes snapping open. He turns to look at Baekhyun, visibly alarmed. “Can y—what?”

“I’m not—it’s not in a weird way,” Baekhyun says, suddenly defensive, “just—I’m bored, you look cute, I want to kiss you.”

Sehun’s expression changes from anxious to skeptical. “You’re… bored and want to kiss?”

“Well. Yeah?” Baekhyun half-shrugs. “Kissing is fun, and who else am I gonna do it with?” When there’s no response, he nudges Sehun with his elbow. “I’m not trying to seduce you, idiot. I just wanna kiss. As  _friends_. Your precious virtue is safe.”

“Who says I’m—”

“Everyone knows you’re a horny virgin. Don’t bother denying it.”

Sehun scowls, then starts to move, sitting up on the mattress. Baekhyun follows, mirroring the cross-legged position.

“So. Just for fun?” Sehun says, a trace of uncertainty in his voice.

“Yep.” Baekhyun tilts his head slightly. “Don’t you like kissing?”

“Of course I do.”

“If it’s weird that we’re both guys,” Baekhyun starts, but Sehun cuts him off with a shake of the head.

“It’s not that,” he says. “I’m—that doesn’t bother me. But.” He hesitates, hands fidgeting nervously. “I don’t normally kiss people who I don’t…” His face is slowly reddening. “I mean, is kissing between friends really a thing?”

“It should be,” says Baekhyun. He laughs. “It’s not the same as fucking or anything.”

“Well.” Sehun’s face has gone almost magenta. He looks away. “Th-that’s true. I guess.”

Baekhyun snickers. “You’re so awkward,” he says, then pauses, sobering. “You don’t have to do it, you know. It’s fine if you say no.”

“I want to,” says Sehun. “You’re right, it’s not weird.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself. It seems to have worked; the doubt is gone from his features, replaced by a sort of determined look. Like kissing is some kind of challenge. Baekhyun does his best not to laugh, but Sehun frowns at him anyway.

“You’re so cute,” Baekhyun says, then leans in before Sehun can grumble and tell him to shut up.

They’re close now. Sehun’s eyes flutter shut in anticipation of a kiss that Baekhyun isn’t going to give him just yet, and he goes completely silent, hardly even breathing as Baekhyun nuzzles his cheek. A whisper of  _it’s just me, Sehunnie_  has him relaxing his posture, taking short, nervous breaths while Baekhyun continues his quiet exploration.

Baekhyun is an affectionate kisser. He brushes their noses together, plants small kisses along Sehun’s cheekbones, his jaw, the space by his ear. Sehun's skin, already hot on its own, is made hotter by the shy flush on his cheeks. One of Baekhyun’s hands makes its way to the back of Sehun’s head, fingers threading through dense blond hair. (It makes Baekhyun nostalgic for blond hair of his own, but the red is still too new for him to be dissatisfied with it, and his scalp has been protesting enough lately.)

“Stop kissing my face,” Sehun mumbles.

“Why? It’s a nice face.” Baekhyun smooches the corner of his mouth loudly and wetly. “So  _cute_ ,” he coos.

“Hyung, don’t be weird,” Sehun says, laughing despite his supposed annoyance.

The laughter stops abruptly when Baekhyun finally presses their lips together. A quick peck at first, then something more substantial, more lasting. A hum of approval passes between their mouths, from one or maybe both of them. Baekhyun smiles into the kiss, smug and eager all at once.

It doesn’t take long for him to figure Sehun out. Already he can tell the younger boy is more than willing to follow his lead, preferring the  _being kissed_  to the  _kissing_. He’s receptive, lips parted invitingly, not a passive participant by any means but clearly not an aggressive one, either. A small and squeaky whimper escapes when Baekhyun bites at his lower lip. Cute, like everything else about him.

When he kisses Sehun, he has this overwhelming feeling of  _why didn’t we do this sooner?_  And it’s not about attraction—he  _does_  find him attractive, but not like that. It’s just nice to kiss someone like this, to care for them and express it by sharing this wonderful thing without it meaning more than it has to. Because he’s never felt closer to Sehun than he does right now, and none of the cuddling or hand-holding or playful biting before this moment ever really allowed him to show just how fond he is of the younger boy.

He has no reason to think Sehun has feelings for him, but a small and irrational part of him worries that he might be making some horrible mistake by leading the guy on without meaning to. The thought pulls at his heartstrings a little; he’d fight anyone who broke Sehun’s heart, but he can’t fight himself. (Some of his friends would argue that he does a good job of punishing himself through his own stupidity, granted, but that doesn’t count.)

Still. Sehun doesn’t kiss like a boy in love. His hesitation doesn’t reek of wanting, and his shyness only feels self-conscious in the way that everything he does can be. It’s safe, Baekhyun thinks—this, here, kissing Sehun. Not wrong, not dangerous.

When Baekhyun breaks the kiss, lips feeling swollen and chapped—and god, he didn’t realize how much he missed that thoroughly kissed feeling—Sehun asks if they can cuddle again. Still a bit red-faced, but not quite as shy as before. Just soft and peaceful once again, not a single hint of lingering desire in his bright, earnest eyes. The faint feeling of dread that had started to collect in Baekhyun’s insides dissipate, and he nods.

They end up spooning, Sehun’s larger frame curling around Baekhyun’s small one. It’s cozy enough that Baekhyun almost wants to drift to sleep, but he knows Sehun won’t follow suit, not with the warmth Baekhyun radiates. It’s fine. They can at least wait comfortably until the desserts in the kitchen are ready.

“Hyung?” Sehun says into Baekhyun’s hair.

“Hmm?”

There’s a pause, then a mumbled, “You’re a good kisser.”

Baekhyun feels another surge of fondness. He laughs, patting Sehun on the arm. “So cute,” he says again.

“Ugh, whatever.”

“Aw. I love you, too, Sehunnie.”

Sehun’s sigh of exasperation tickles his neck. Baekhyun continues to snicker, his head feeling clearer than it has in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/z_nnen) | [Tumblr](http://sweater-soo.tumblr.com/)


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